The National Association of Piggery Farmers (NAPF) has called on members of the National Assembly (NASS) to pass a law on piggery colonies in the Northern states, to put an end to what they termed as the marginalisation of their members.

While condemning the Federal Government for sidelining them, the farmers claimed their pigs have been variously targeted for elimination in several Northern states.

According to a statement by NAPF National Secretary, Ogbuefi Animam Eze, the Sharia compliant states have refused to allow their legitimate business to thrive, adding that their members have been hounded and harassed by the Hisbah Police and others.

“The Federal Ministry of Agriculture has paid deaf ears to our plight. Our members demand that the marginalisation must stop, in order to forestall the breakdown of law and order.

“From the foregoing, NAPF thus demands the following: equal opportunities for all farmers and herders throughout the federation; we are demanding a 20 hectare piggery colony in the 19 Northern states, especially Katsina, Kano, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe, Bauchi, Niger, Borno and Gombe. We demand the National Assembly to pass a law on piggery colonies in all Northern states; we demand that a section of the Nigerian Army be employed in the protection of pigs and pig farmers; we demand the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to set aside a budget for the importation of pig feed from Argentina; and we demand a special department of piggery in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture,” he said.

He noted that as a law-abiding association, other farmers have been prevented from being provoked by the government-backed Hisbah/Islamic horde “that aim to destroy our pig farmers. We shall not be involved in attacking and killing the anti-piggery people in the Sharia states. If these things are not done, we can no longer guarantee that our members would not deliberately target our transducers!”